Childhood
by Me-Nuriko
Summary: Some children don't get to have the childhood they need. An uncomfortable story about a young Gojyo. Not suitable for young readers or sensitive minds. Rating because of sex, violence and child abuse. Not explicitly described, though.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "Saiyuki" and all of its characters belong to and were created by Kazuya Minekura. In this story they are used without prior permission. No profit is made through this story.

**CHILDHOOD**

**Chapter 1**

The skinny eight-year old sat with his back pressed against the wall. He stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of him, his brain struggling violently to comprehend what just had happened. In front of him stood his brother where his mom had stood just a moment ago. Jien was standing motionless with a sword in his hand, Gojyo, just as motionless, couldn't do anything but stare at him, not comprehending.

He should be dead. Mom had been standing before him, her face distorted in anger, tears streaming down her cheeks, axe raised over him. He hadn't been able to move, nor scream. Didn't even want to move or scream. Yes, part of him had been terrified. Even though life wasn't as happy as it should be for a child, it still was his life, and he wasn't ready to let it go yet. But another part of him could only feel relief. He knew that in a second everything would be over. He would be gone, mom would stop crying and live happy with Jien, a life where no half-breed stepson could give her more grief and sorrow.

The axe never fell. Instead mom fell. Silently she had fallen, the angry look never leaving her face. Now Jien was standing there. Jien. Sword in hand. Slowly Gojyo's eyes moved from Jien's face, whose eyes weren't looking at him, to the sword. Blood dripped from it. Blood dripped down on the lump on the floor. The lump was mom. Mom was lying perfectly still on her right side, all he could see was her back. Blood was splashed over his legs and on the floor beside them. Jien had killed her. Finally his brain caught up.

"Mom?" It wasn't more than a whisper, but it was enough to make Jien move, and Gojyo's eyes flew back to his brother. Jien lifted his hand looking at the sword, then raised his head and looked straight at Gojyo. He didn't say anything, he was silently crying. The look in his eyes was that of someone scared, lost and sad. Gojyo understood. That was how he felt himself. Then Jien turned and left. Gojyo saw him walking through the room, out of the door, but he still couldn't move. He wanted to run after Jien, to hug him and hold him close, being held, but his body refused to obey his commands. Instead he sat there, eyes fixed on the back of mom. Jien had killed her. Focusing only on breathing to keep the turmoil in his head bearable.

In and out, the air filled his lungs. _Keep breathing, Gojyo. You can do this._ Mom was dead. Dead. Maybe she wasn't dead? Maybe she was just badly wounded? It took a lot of willpower, but with an effort he managed to crawl over to his mom.

"Mom?" he asked, gently touching her. She didn't respond. He tried to shake her. "Mom!" Her body rolled over and landed halfway in his lap. Lying on her back she stared with unseeing eyes at him. Accusingly, Gojyo thought. Not able to meet that look he reached out with a small hand, put it on her eyelids and closed her eyes. "Mom, I love you. I'm sorry." Trembling overtook him. Again he couldn't move. The tremble escalated to shaking. He was so cold. His teeth clattered. Dead. She really was dead. Jien had killed her. Where was Jien now? Gojyo wished he would come back soon, to pick him up and hold him and warm him, and tell him that everything was okay. He tried to call for him, but he could barely hear his own voice. Freezing, shaking and terrified Gojyo fell over the body of the only mother he had had ever known, and was blessedly lost in unconsciousness.

It was several hours later when he woke up again. For a moment he felt all lost, but it didn't take long until he had recalled what had happened. It was even clearer now in his head. Carefully he pushed his mom from his lap, and rose. He was almost as stiff as the body before him, after half sitting, half lying, in an uncomfortable position for so long. The blood was sticky on his skin, and his clothes felt like armour. He needed a shower. He needed to find Jien.

"Jien!" he called, surprised by the steadiness in his voice. "Where are you?" He searched every room in the small cottage, but there was no sign of his big brother. Gojyo sat down on Jien's bed and looked around. The room was messy as always. Where was Jien? He should be back soon. Gojyo needed him. Jien was always there when he needed him. Well, he'd better take a shower first. Jien would probably make a fuss if he wasn't clean when he came back, he was always anxious if Gojyo wasn't in as perfect condition as possible. Else mom would hit him, and Jien hated that even more than Gojyo did. But mom couldn't hit him anymore. Jien had killed her. Gojyo picked up new clothes, stripped and laid the blood drenched ones in the laundry basket, and entered the bathroom.

The shower was nice and hot. Really hot, just how he liked it. He couldn't stay too long in the shower though. If he did they would run out of hot water and mom would really be angry. But mom couldn't be angry any more. Jien had killed her. He found the shampoo bottle and cleaned his hair. No one liked his hair. No one except Jien. At least he didn't mind it. Mom used to pull hard at his hair, screaming all the insults he was so used to hear. Half breed! Bastard! Son of a bitch! Taboo child! But mom couldn't scream those insults anymore. Jien had killed her. Jien had killed her. Jien had… killed her? Automatically Gojyo turned off the water. He took a towel, dried himself, put on the new clothes, and found himself lying on his back on his own bed. Jien… had… killed… their… mother! What would happen to Jien now? The elders in the village would probably put him in prison. Or… what if they killed him? Gojyo wasn't sure, but he thought that if you killed someone, the punishment might be to get killed yourself. In that case it was dangerous for Jien to be here. He must tell Jien that. As soon as he came back they must run away. He and Jien. They couldn't stay here.

Hastily Gojyo rose from the bed. He'd better start packing. He rummaged through the closet to find the backpack they had used on the one camping trip they had made. Where was the bag? Apparently not in here. Gojyo wrinkled his nose in an attempt to think. Where could it be? It had always been lying in the closet. Every time he opened the closet he would see it and smile because of the happy memories it gave him. Actually he saw it this morning. It had almost fallen on his head when he reached for a scarf beside it, and he remembered tucking it safely back to the shelf. If it was gone now that meant Jien had already taken it. That he was already gone. But why? Of course, Gojyo should have known Jien would understand he couldn't stay here, but why leave Gojyo? No, he hadn't left Gojyo. He had just packed a few things and went out and hid it. Soon he would be back for Gojyo and some more stuff. Jien had a plan, Gojyo was sure of it.

While he waited he found another smaller backpack, and put some food in it. He probably could use some clothes, too, but the backpack was small and he couldn't squeeze any clothes in. Besides, food was more important than clothes. He was sure Jien would agree. They could buy new clothes later. Jien was strong, he would soon get a job and earn some money. They just needed to get over the first days before Jien got a job. Food was more important. He could probably help, too, with getting some money. Sure he was small and skinny, but he was no weakling. Many of the boys in the village knew that to be true. He could help in a garden or, he made a grimace, in a kitchen. Grinning to himself for being so smart, Gojyo sat down at the kitchen table to eat something before Jien came back. If Jien wanted to leave immediately it was best to be ready.

When he was finished he started to think. What if someone came to visit mom before Jien came back? There were traces of blood all over the floors. Anyone would be suspicious. Better get this cleaned up and just pretend she was away on some errand. Gojyo grabbed a bucket and started filling it with water.

A couple of hours later Jien still hadn't come back. Gojyo started to get worried. What if something had happened to his brother? Maybe he already had got caught? But no, in that case somebody would be over here by now, taking mom's body away, and taking himself to… yeah, where would they take him? There was no orphanage in this village, and he doubted there was a single family that would voluntarily take him in. Nobody here liked him anymore than mom had done. Maybe someone knew about an orphanage somewhere and would take him there. If they did, he hoped Jien would find him. Or perhaps they would let him stay in the cottage. He wondered if anyone would let him into their gardens or kitchens to help. Not that it mattered much, as soon as Jien was back they would be gone.

When the evening came and Gojyo was just as alone as he had been most of the day, he was more than worried. Jien should be back by now. A small voice in the back of his head had started to ask annoying questions. What if Jien never meant to come back? What if he really had left Gojyo? But still Gojyo refused to listen to that voice. Early tomorrow he would be awakened by Jien standing over his bed, hushing to him, and they would quietly sneak out of the village to never come back. To be ready, Gojyo went to bed with his clothes on, and the backpack beside him.

The next morning Gojyo woke up to agitated voices. Somewhere in the house, someone, or rather, several someones, were very upset. Gojyo quickly sat up in his bed. They must have found his mom's body. He'd better be out of here before they remembered him.

It was too late. Suddenly the door slammed open and one of the voices yelled at him: "Here he is, the wretched child!" Gojyo stared frightened at the angry woman standing just inside the door to his room. What was she going to do with him? He soon got his silent question answered as the woman almost jumped over to him and took a painful hold on his upper, right arm and shook him violently. "What have you done," she yelled. "Wasn't it enough that she gave you food, clothes and a home? Did you have to kill her? You ungrateful bastard. She wasn't even your mother and still she gave you everything. Half breeds like you…"

"That's enough Ela," a man's voice was heard behind the woman. "A disgusting half breed he may be, but he still couldn't have done the deed. He is only a child, and a small one at that."

"I didn't kill her," Gojyo peeped up. "Please, you're hurting my arm…" He couldn't believe this. How could she think it was he who had killed mom?

That made the angry woman even angrier. "Liar. Of course you did." She purposely stuck her claws into Gojyo's arm while she shook him again, increasing his pain tenfold, and Gojyo couldn't help but gasp. The woman snickered at that. "Just take it, foul child. Murderer. Killing your loving stepmother without a thought, and then just go to bed, as if nothing had happened."

That made the man walk over to them and release Gojyo from the woman's strong hand. Instead he took hold of Gojyo with a still firm, but not as painful grip. Gojyo was thankful, but still afraid. Even if the man had said he didn't believe Gojyo was the one who did it, Gojyo knew that this man, who he recognized as one of the Elders that ruled the village, held no love for him. "I told you he can't be the one who did it," the Elder addressed the woman.

She glared at him. "Who else could it be?" He's a half breed, everyone knows those can't be trusted. And I never thought you would be the one to defend that kind of freak."

The Elder glared back at her. "So you're saying that an eight year old half breed has it in him to overpower a full grown youkai woman?" he asked sarcastically. "I never thought _you_ would give that much credit to half breeds. The wounds were made by a sword, and this little piece of trash couldn't possible handle that kind of weapon."

"If he didn't do it, then who did?" she snarled. "The only other one who lives in this house is Jien, and he was her real, loving son. There is no way he could have done a thing like this." At those words Gojyo paled and started to tremble. They both turned to him.

"I think you better answer Ela's question," the Elder said seriously. "You clearly already knew she was dead when Ela accused you of killing your mother. I say there's a good chance you know who did it."

"Yeah, even if he didn't do it by himself, he's most definitely an accomplice," the woman tried to salvage whatever accusation she could. "Tell us, who did this?"

Gojyo stared terrified at the floor. He couldn't meet their gazes. What was he to say? He never anticipated this situation, and had no ready lie to give them. All he knew was that he could not give them the true answer.

"Answer," the Elder demanded again, this time with more steel in his voice.

"Eeh…," Gojyo was thinking rapidly now, "yesterday there was a human man…" Gojyo thought that was pretty clever; everybody in this village hated humans, even if half breeds, for reasons he never knew, were hated more. He was abruptly interrupted though.

"A human? Don't lie to us. Your mother would never let a human in to her house. And if she did, he would be the one to be dead, not she." The woman let out a dry laugh. "Besides, do you think a human could get into this village without anyone notice? It's not like this house is at the outskirts, you little shit."

The Elder gave Gojyo a look that told the boy he didn't believe him either. "I think it's better you come with me, until we have settled this." Gojyo could do nothing as the strong man marched him out of his home and out to the street.

The rumours had apparently spread; there were a lot of people standing outside the house, chatting and gossiping excitedly. A cart stood at the gate, and Gojyo could see a rectangular shape wrapped in a blanket lying on the floor of the vehicle. Mom. They had already lifted her out of the house. Where would they take her?

His thoughts were broken off by the shouts that started as soon as the men, women and children standing there caught sight of him. "There he is!" "Was he the one who did it?" "Nah, couldn't have been. He's too scrawny." "But he's a taboo child, who knows what they are capable of?" "Hey, shithead, did you do it? Did you kill your mom?" "You did. Didn't you?" "Murderer!" "Murderer!"

Gojyo was now as terrified as he had been when he saw Jien kill their mom. How could they think he was the murderer? He was just a kid. And mom was… had been, strong. Were they going to kill him now? _Jien, where are you? Please, help me._

The Elder stopped when he heard the people screaming. "Shut up, all of you," he yelled loud enough to be heard over the noise. Out of respect for one of their Elder, the people actually ceased with their shouts, and instead there was an expecting silence.

"I tell you all what I told Ela inside," the Elder answered their quiet questions. "This kid couldn't have done it. He's too small, and has neither strength, nor speed or wit enough to manage something like this."

The audience mumbled disapprovingly, but the Elder broke them off before they could start their yelling again. "However," he continued, "I do think he knows who did it, and there is a good chance he was part of the deed, even if he couldn't have committed the crime all by himself. I will take him to the council house and imprison him there for the time being. If all of you just clear the way and let me take him there, I promise you we will have everything cleared out in the near future."

The people grumbled a little at this, but nobody said anything more, at least not openly. Gojyo and the Elder could walk pass them without incidences.

Gojyo was taken to the biggest house in the village, the council house, which also served as a home for three of the Elders and their families. The lower ground of the west wing was separated from the rest of the house with a heavy locked door. Behind that door were small, windowless rooms that served as the village's jail. To this jail, Gojyo was brought.

A gruff woman was called for when they arrived. The woman opened the door and the Elder brought Gojyo to one of the cells, where he was more or less thrown to the floor. "You'll wait here until we have summoned all the Elders for a meeting. Then you'd better be prepared to answer our questions. To motivate you I will send in some company for you." He smiled humourlessly and left. The woman locked the door to his cell and Gojyo could hear her locking the outer door, too. Then it was quiet.

Gojyo didn't move from where he had landed on the floor. He sat with his head down, feeling very much abandoned, and so very afraid. Tears started to trickle down his cheeks, and soon he was sobbing openly. He just couldn't help it. How could this happen? He hadn't done anything wrong. Except for the crime of existing, of course. But that was probably soon to be over, anyway. Jien hadn't changed anything. Gojyo's death was soon to come.

How long he had been sitting there, crying, he didn't know, when he heard footsteps outside and the door to his cell opened. "Heh, what a crybaby," a nasty voice was saying. "You'll soon have more to cry for, boy." Gojyo looked up and gasped when he saw the youkai entering the cell. Slowly he moved backwards until the wall prevented him from getting further away from scariest man in the village: 'The Whipper'.

"Nooo…"

A couple of hours later a beaten and shaken eight-year-old was brought to the Meeting of the Elders. Not that The Whipper had beaten him constantly; his so called company in the cell had interrogated him and enforced his desire for answers with the help of open hands, fists and the whip. Gojyo had always thought of himself as one of the strongest boys in the village, not only in muscles, but not even the strongest child needed much to be broken down in the situation he was in.

Hurting, but mostly ashamed, Gojyo stood in front of the Elders. A push in his back made him stumble a little, but he didn't look up. "Go on," demanded The Whipper beside him. "Tell them what you just told me."

Gojyo could still not look up, but in a small voice he said: "Jien did it." That was it. He had betrayed his brother.

"Is this the truth?" the question was directed to The Whipper.

"Of course it is!" The Whipper looked insulted. "I've dealt with enough criminals to know when they speak the truth and when it's the fear speaking."

"Gojyo," the Elder who had taken him from his home said, "how did Jien kill your mother?"

"With a sword," Gojyo answered quietly.

"And why did he do it?"

Gojyo hesitated. He knew there was no way to avoid the question. He had already blurted the answer out in the cell. Still it felt like he was betraying not only his brother, but his mother, too.

"Answer!"

"B-because mom tried to…" he swallowed, "t-to kill me."

A woman amongst the Elders sneered, but otherwise there was no respond to that answer. He felt terrible. But probably they didn't believe him anyway. While it was no secret that his mother hated him, even if this Ela had tried to make it sound otherwise, few of them would believe such an accusation from him. Or if they believed him, they just didn't care. That thought made Gojyo understand how truly alone he was.

"Answer!"

Gojyo looked up for the first time. He hadn't heard the question. "What…?"

"Where is Jien now?" an Elder repeated the query.

"I don't know," Gojyo answered truthfully. "He… left." It was painful to think about, but he fought hard not to show any more tears.

The Elders started talking amongst themselves while Gojyo stood there waiting. He couldn't hear much but his ears caught words like "murder", and "death penalty", and he shivered again.

After what felt like an eternity, one of the female Elders living in the council house left the others and walked over to Gojyo. She took his arm as the others had done, and without a word marched him out of the meeting room towards the cells. Gojyo worked up the courage to ask: "What'll you do to me? And what are you gonna do with Jien?"

The woman looked at him, not too hateful Gojyo thought, and answered with something that sounded like pity in her voice. "Your brother will be hunted down and brought back here for interrogation, and if what you have told us is found to be the truth, then, with all probability, there will be a public execution. As for yourself, you will be staying here and attend the execution, afterwards you will be sent to a correctional institution for children."

Execution! He had been correct in his thoughts after all. And for himself; 'Correctional institution', that was a nasty name. Gojyo didn't like the sound of that at all. He didn't know what to say. There was simply too much to say, so he couldn't say anything at all. In silence he followed the woman back to the cell.

When she had left, Gojyo made his way over to the pile of hay lying in a corner, and sat down. He started to cry again. Mom dead, Jien gone. If they found Jien he'd be dead, too. Himself going to a child prison, even though he hadn't done anything. Gojyo let out all his fear in the biggest cry he ever had.

It took almost two hours before the tears slowed down. No one had disturbed him during that time, and he felt relieved. Now that he had calmed, he felt ashamed once more. What kind of person was he? First he had betrayed his brother, and now it showed how much of a cry-baby he was. Angrily he dried the wetness from his face with his shirt. It didn't help anything if he was sitting here whining like a baby. He had to deal with the situation as it was.

First, he needed to have faith in Jien. Gojyo understood now, that Jien wasn't coming back to get him. Jien knew so much more than Gojyo that he of course was far away from this village by now. That meant they were never going to catch him. And if they never were going to catch him, it didn't matter that Gojyo had betrayed him. A feeling of guilt was trying to surface but Gojyo quickly restrained it. He had faith in Jien; his brother could take care of himself. Then, what about Gojyo? Could he take care of himself? Gojyo snorted. He could. In every situation he could take care of himself!

What was he going to do now? His first priority had to be to get out of here. How? He went up and felt the door. Of course it was locked. The lock was a sturdy one and he wouldn't be able to pick it even if he had had any kind of lock pick. He looked around. No windows, no trapdoors, no roof hatch. He couldn't reach the ceiling even if there had been one, there was nothing to climb on. He sat down again. That meant the only possibility was to jump anyone who opened the door, and run for his life out of here. With a sigh Gojyo sat down in the hay again. He had to admit there wasn't much chance to succeed such an attempt. What other options were there? Maybe he had to wait and see if there was an opportunity to flee when they took him to the correctional institution.

Whatever happened, whether he accomplished the escape and had to live on his own, or they put him in prison, he would manage. Whatever happened, he would never cry again.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Several hours later Gojyo was more than hungry. He hadn't eaten in all day, and it didn't seem like anyone outside the cell remembered that a small kid could use some nutrition. The thirst was even worse. There was also another craving; the one of nicotine. He didn't smoke much, only when he was stressed, like when Jien and their mom were closed up together in her bedroom. That felt so creepy, and he used to steal a couple of sticks from mom's store of cigarettes whenever that happened. Once he had peeked into the bedroom and saw the two of them naked and sweaty on the bed. Mom had been moaning and Jien had looked grim. That was when he started to smoke. Now he was stressed for another reason, but he still felt like he needed the rush from the nicotine. Whatever. He didn't have either food or cigarettes; there was nothing he could do about it. Especially not cry. It wouldn't help anyway. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself. Gojyo the half breed, was not a cry-baby.

Having nothing else to do, Gojyo tried to make himself comfortable in the hay. Maybe he could sleep a little. That would at least let him forget his hunger for a while. Trashing around he found there was no way he could sleep at the moment. He wasn't sleepy, only hungry.

A sound was heard outside the cell, and a moment later the door was opened. Thoughts about jumping the person who came inside was rushing through his head, but when he saw the girl entering with a tray in her hands, he was glad he never tried it. Not that he couldn't have overpowered her, she wasn't bigger than him, but he recognized her. It was Rin, the only girl in school who was nice to him. Rin wasn't the most courageous girl in the world, but she always gave him small smiles, and if no one else was around she even talked to him like to a friend. Gojyo was reminded she belonged to one of the families who lived in the council house.

Rin put the tray down on the floor since there was no other place to put it. "I thought you must be hungry," she said shyly. "Nobody else wanted to cook for you, so I did it myself, and I'm not very good at cooking. I hope you can eat it."

She looked embarrassed, but before Gojyo could answer her, a voice from outside the door was snaring. "Not so much talk, Rin. Just leave the tray and get out of there."

Gojyo was double glad he hadn't tried to escape when the door had opened. Of course, Rin wouldn't have been alone. They would never let her in here by herself, in case Gojyo would try anything. Which he almost had done.

With a shy smile at him, Rin hurried out of the cell, and Gojyo heard the key turn in the lock again. He remembered something and hurried to the door. "Thank you!" he yelled, hoping she was still close enough to hear. There was no answer.

He turned to the tray. There was water in a pitcher, bread, cheese and two bowls, one with pieces of meat, and the other with cooked vegetables. No cutlery, but Gojyo could understand they wouldn't let him have anything that could be used as a weapon, however small. He sat down by the tray and started eating with his hands. Some of the meat was a little burnt, other pieces were a little raw, and Rin seemed to have forgotten the salt. The vegetables were all overcooked. Still, it tasted wonderful. Maybe because he was thinking of Rin's smile all the time while he was eating, or maybe just because he was hungry. The water was very welcome, too.

After the meal Gojyo was reminded of another sort of need. He could really use a bathroom now. In more ways than one. Oh-oh. What was he supposed to do? For a while he managed to suppress the need, but it became more and more urgent. This was bad. He needed to go, now! He ran to the door and pounded it frantically. "Please, I need to go to the bathroom." Of course, no one answered him, and he looked around the cell desperately. With no more time to think Gojyo squatted down in one of the corners, feeling both embarrassment and relief. When he was finished he used some of the hay to clean himself as much as he could. Throwing the used hay in the 'dirty' corner he wrinkled his nose. The cell stank now. Whatever, just another thing he couldn't change.

With the basic needs taken care of, the stress of the day's events finally took its tolls. Gojyo crawled up in the rest of the hay and let exhaustion drag him into sleep.

-o-O-o-

It must have been after midnight when he woke up again. It was hard to tell with no windows, but the weak lamp in the ceiling had been turned off, and he figured he must have slept at least six hours. What had awakened him? There was a sound from the door. Someone was turning the key in the lock, at the same time trying to be as quiet as possible. Was someone coming to kill him in his sleep? Scared, but determined not to get killed so easily, he tensed, ready for defence, and maybe even an opportunity to get away in the tumult.

The door opened slowly without a sound. Gojyo readied himself for the attack. A weak light was seen through the crack and it became bigger as the door opened.

"Gojyo?"

What! Rin? What was she doing here? Why would they use her to get him?

"Gojyo, are you awake?" Yes, it was Rin's anxious voice from the door. She stepped inside and Gojyo could see her face in the faint light.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Gojyo answered cautiously. He couldn't see anyone else, but he was certain there must be at least one more person outside. "What do you want?" The fear in him made the question sound rude, and Rin flushed.

"I don't want you to be in prison," she whispered urgently. "The guard just went to the bathroom. Hurry, before he comes back."

Gojyo just stared at her. "You're helping me run away?"

"Yes, yes," Rin said, anxiously looking out the door. "Hurry," she begged again.

Gojyo joined her at the door. He looked at her serious face, not really daring to believe her. Maybe they would kill him if he ran, saying it was only because he fled. He had heard about that in a book Jien had read to him. "Why?" he asked.

Rin managed to somehow look embarrassed and desperate at the same time. "Because I… like you," she hurriedly whispered with her face turned from him. "Please, you must hurry!"

Gojyo peeked out the door. He could see that the big door to the rest of the house was open. "How did you open the door? You didn't just ask to be let in, did you? And the guard didn't leave the door open when he went to the bathroom? "

"No!" Rin answered as she alternately pulled and pushed him towards the door. "I stole the key from mother when she was sleeping."

Gojyo looked at her. If this was true it was clear he had to think again when he thought she wasn't courageous.

They were now at the door and Gojyo looked out to the big hall outside. No one was there. He could see the entry door across the hall. He had to trust Rin. After all, she had no reason to betray him. He started to tip-toe over the floor, with Rin right at his heels. When they reached the door he cautiously opened it. Looking outside he still couldn't see anybody. The sky was dark, but street lights lit the yard in front of the house. He turned to Rin. "What about you? Won't you be in trouble now?"

At that moment they could hear footsteps coming closer. The guard! Gojyo was quickly pushed outside the door, Rin still beside him. To his astonishment she suddenly grabbed him by his arms and put their lips together in a rather rough kiss. Gojyo couldn't move. She was kissing him! Just as suddenly as she had grabbed him, she let go of his arms and pushed him away. "Run," she said urgently, "don't worry about me. They won't do anything bad to me."

From the inside they heard a surprised yell. Probably when the guard discovered the open door. Finally Gojyo understood he had to run, and be quick about it. "Thanks," he smiled gratefully at her, turned, and ran for his life.

-o-O-o-

Late afternoon that same day, Gojyo was lying in a barn, once again on hay, far from the village. His feet were in pain after running barefoot through the woods. A pair of shoes would be the first thing he would ask Jien to buy for him when he found him. Of course, food, too, but that was kind of implicit.

He couldn't remember much of the first hours he had been running. They had been chasing him through the forest, and wouldn't give up, so much he remembered. He also remembered the scared part, but other than that his memory was blank. What he did remember was seeing the road and a human man standing in front of a tree on the other side of the road, getting ready to take care of his needs. Behind the man stood a covered wagon. Gojyo had quickly as a weasel sneaked into that wagon, hoping the man wouldn't see him and that he was continuing his travels soon.

He had been in luck. The man was soon finished and when he came back to the wagon he made the horse run in a fast trot. Lulled to sleep at the wagon's movements, and exhausted after the running, Gojyo had closed his eyes and slept.

When dawn arrived, Gojyo had woken up. The wagon had been standing still and he had tentatively peered out from under the wagons cover. In front of him he could see an inn close to a river. The driver had stood talking to someone at the inn's door, gesticulating at the wagon. Probably the wagon contained supplies for the inn.

Gojyo had sneaked out and nobody had noticed him. He had made his way down to the river, and stopped frozen. The shore had been filled with boats, and in spite of the early hour there were a lot of people getting ready to set out on the day's fishing trip. Human people. Gojyo hadn't known if this was good or bad. He wasn't very used to humans.

Jien had said that there were villages where humans and youkai lived together, and he had always wanted to live in one of those. Surely there must be a lot of half breeds in those villages, and no one would think anything about it. In the village where he had lived, though, there were no humans. Humans were talked about in a suspicious way. Actually, as far as Gojyo could remember, he had never heard anyone say anything good about humans.

Here, there had been humans. Only humans. Men, women and even a few children. No youkai at all. Gojyo had stood looking at them, wondering what he should do. He could start walking either upstream or downstream he supposed. Only it felt like it would be too easy for the pursuer to find him. He wasn't certain he was correct, but if he could cross the river he would surely be out of reach from the people from his village. Hopefully.

He had no idea what the people on the shore would do if a half breed kid came asking them to take him with them, though. Maybe they would throw stones at him. Someone at school had told him that humans hated half breeds even more than youkai did. Now was the time to find out the truth in that statement. He had started walking down the brink to the people.

The first one to notice him had been a woman. She had looked up and seen him standing there, ready to run at the first sign of hostility.

"Hey there," she had said and smiled at him. "Who are you?"

Gojyo had taken a guarded step forward, relieved at the smile and that he could sense no animosity from the woman, but still on alert in case of trouble coming up. "I'm Gojyo," he had answered. "I was wondering if you could take me across the river?"

"Oh?" the woman had said questioningly. "And why is that? Do your parents know about this, or have you run away, maybe?"

"No, I don't have any parents. I lived with my uncle, but he died yesterday," Gojyo had lied and tried to look sad, "and now I want to find my big brother who lives on the other side of the river, He's the only one I have now." He had even managed to get a tear slip down his cheek as he had said that.

The woman had been standing quiet for a while, just watching him. Skinny, dirty, with not even a bag. "What's your brother's name?" she had asked.

"Jien." As he had mentioned the name, he suddenly had realized that maybe it had been a bad idea to tell her his and Jien's real names. He needed to be better at lying. At least he had come up with a deceased uncle.

"And where does this Jien live?" The woman continued her questioning. "The other side of the river doesn't say much, you know?"

"Anzhen," this time the lie came quick. Anzhen was one of the smaller towns where youkai and humans lived together. Once there had been a visitor from Anzhen in the village. He had been met with suspicion and hadn't stayed long. But Jien had talked to the man and told Gojyo about it after. That's why he knew one had to cross a river to reach it. He only hoped it was this river.

"Anzhen, huh," the woman had looked thoughtful. "That's quite far off, you know. You know how to get there?"

"No," said Gojyo, truthfully this time. "I thought I could ask directions on the way. This is the right river to cross, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Another pause. "All right," she had finally said, "those things happen. You can come with me, I'm just about to set out. Hop aboard. But," she had looked sternly at him, "if anyone comes asking for you, I will tell them that you were here and where you went. Understood?"

"Of course, Gojyo had answered. He hadn't been too frightened at that. He doubted anyone from his village would ask humans if they had seen him. They probably thought he was too scared to get close to them. Besides, he would take any other road than the one leading to Anzhen. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, get going. The others are already off shore."

The travel across the river had been uneventful. The woman didn't say much more, and Gojyo had been thankful. He hadn't been in the mood to chat. His stomach had started to rumble again, too. He had thought the woman hadn't heard it, but when they reached the other side she had grabbed a bundle and handed to him. "Here, I think you need this better than I do."

He had taken the bundle and opened it to look at the food in there. "Thanks," he had said, "both for the trip and the food." He had watched the surroundings deliberately. There had been no village here. Only a few fishing huts which had looked rather scrubby. A path went up from to shore. "Do you know how to get to Anzhen," he had asked. Best to keep this up, just in case.

The woman pointed at the path. "Follow the path up to the brink. There is a road there. Go to the left. After two or three miles it splits. Take the left one again. Follow it until you reach a village. I don't know the way very clearly from that point, but they can help you better there."

"Okay, thanks again." Gojyo had smiled at the woman and started the quite steep climbing up the path. When he had made it to the road, he had promptly turned to the right and started walking. He had been hungry, but didn't dare to stop to eat just yet. Not until he had walked for most of the day did he stop. The barn on the other side of the meadow had seemed to calling to him, and he had found some extra power to run over to it. Inside had been a lot of hay, and he had eagerly made himself comfortable, opened the bundle and started to eat.

Now, with a full stomach and feeling quite satisfied, it was actually quite nice being on the road like this. The weather was nice, no one was nagging, shouting, or yelling at him. It was like an adventure. Gojyo smiled to himself. He thought about Rin. She had helped him flee, he was very grateful for that of course, but furthermore, she had also kissed him. His first kiss ever. Gojyo smiled again, feeling very manly. He was on the road, taking care of himself, and having even been kissed by a girl. Life was quite fun.

Time to get going. He made his way back to the road and continued his journey. The happy mood didn't leave him and he made some small jumps of joy, while walking. He even laughed to himself. The human woman had helped him across the river, she had given him food, and had not mentioned his bastard blood. Humans weren't so bad after all. It had been all lies, what they had told him in the village.

A few hours later it wasn't fun anymore. Once again he was hungry, and this time he had no food. The night was approaching and it started to get cold. He had seen no villages, not even lone houses. Not a trace of either youkai or humans, except that he could see this road was usually well traveled. He hadn't met anyone, though, and no one had come up behind him either. Maybe he should have stayed in the barn for the night. The thought of lying warm and cosy in the hay made him half regret leaving the place. But no, he still wouldn't have any food, and he couldn't just stay there for the rest of his life.

It was almost dark now; it had started to get windy and he shivered of cold. Why couldn't there be another wagon coming up behind him. One with a couple of friendly humans. The humans didn't seem to mind he was a half breed, so he thought it was better if the couple would be humans.

He started to fantasize about what they would do. First they would stop the wagon and ask him his name and where he was headed. He would say his name was… eh… Shiro. Yeah, Shiro was good. But what would he answer to where he was going? He had no idea where Jien was. As far as he knew Jien might even be in Anzhen. It was probably better he found a job and supported himself for a while, and when he had saved enough money he could continue to search for his brother. Okay. He would tell the kind couple that he was looking for a job. The man would look at him and say something like, 'You look like a strong, healthy boy to me. As a matter of fact I'm looking for someone who can help me out on our farm. Would you take the job?' And he would agree and they would let him sit up in the wagon, between them. The woman would take a blanket and put it around him, then she would say 'You are a little skinny. When we come home, I'll cook you a nice warm supper. You'd like that, won't you?' Again he would agree, and he would fall asleep while sitting in the warmth between them with the blanket around him. When they arrived at their home, they would gently wake him up, he would get a fabulous meal, and then they would lead him to a room with a big bed, and a lit fireplace. They would tell him this was to be his room and they hoped he would like it here. He would get undressed and climb into the bed…

A rumble interrupted his fantasy. He looked up and immediately his face was drenched, as the sky let out all the water from its clouds. Hurriedly he ran for the forest on his right side. He crouched beside a big spruce with branches hanging down to the ground. Sitting under the branches Gojyo watched the rain and listened to the loud sound of water hitting the ground and trees. This wasn't much like his daydream, but under the spruce it was dry, at least. He was still cold, though, and hungry. He snorted at himself, thinking of the fantasy. Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen. Trying to make the small space below the branches as comfortable as possible with the needles on the ground, he curled up into a ball and prepared himself for a cold and sleepless night.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When dawn arrived the rain had stopped. As he had thought, he hadn't slept much, but actually managed to slumber a little, even if he woke up every so often, shivering in the cold. He crawled out from under the tree's branches and pushed on up the road.

The road was filled with pools of water, and he tried to avoid walking in them. His feet were not hurting so much any longer. Even if they were dirty and could use some water, the pools were dirty, too, and the water cold. He didn't need more cold. It wasn't raining, but it was still cloudy, and quite chilly. How long was this road? It must be leading somewhere, right? Gojyo could only hope it would be a fairly big village or town, where he could get a job to earn some money, and buy food. The hunger was gnawing in his stomach, but there was nothing else to do but keep on walking.

After a couple of hours, the road crossed a brook and he lay down beside it and scoped water up in his hands and drank. He only paused for a few minutes, and then he was on his way again. The sun broke through the clouds and it was getting warmer. A couple of hours later it was too hot. The road went between fields now, and there were no trees to give any shade. Fortunately he happened to find another brook, and this time he rested for almost half an hour. He was too impatient to stay longer by the brook, and it was a little easier to think about something else but food if he kept walking.

In the early afternoon he finally reached a town. He was standing on the top of a hill, looking down as the road traveled downwards to what looked like a rather big town. Gojyo let out a sigh of relief. Food, water, warm beds. He was too tired to run, but he quickened his steps as he treaded down towards the town.

It was easy enough to get into town. There were no defence walls or any guards outside. After a while it was rather crowded on the streets. Mostly humans, but even youkai, and they didn't seem to mind each other either. However he looked, he couldn't see any other half breeds, though. Gojyo thought it best to follow the stream of people, thinking they were probably headed to the market place.

He was right. The street he was walking ended at a big square with a lot of stands where people were selling just about anything. It was then he remembered. He still didn't have any money. All the time he had been thinking that he would get a job and buy food. But he needed food, now. He couldn't wait until he had found a job, and then until he had worked enough to actually get handed some coins.

A moment he was lost in thoughts. Maybe if he asked on restaurants he could have something to eat if he promised to do some work later? He turned to go looking for a restaurant or a tavern.

"Beat it, kid!" "Get out of here!" "Aren't you a little too young?" "Sorry, have all help I need." Different words, but they all meant 'no job for Gojyo'. With his stomach aching of hunger, he sat on a doorstep facing the marketplace. Sure, he was small and skinny. But that didn't meant he couldn't be useful. None of the restaurant owners had let him explain that, though. And when he desperately hungry had started to beg, most of them had thrown him out faster than a blink. Some had added a kick to his behind, too.

A sudden movement next to him made him turn. There was a boy his age, or a little older, standing beside him, looking down at him.

"Yo," the boy greeted him.

"Hi," Gojyo answered cautiously.

"Haven't seen ya before." The boy sat down to his left side. "New in town, ain't ya?"

"Yeah," Gojyo said, still a little on guard. All boys his age used to want to beat him up, or at least try. Even if they often had to be three or more to do it. Only, this boy didn't look like he wanted to fight. "I came here a few hours ago."

The boy grinned. "Figured that. Ya seem lost. No place to stay, hungry, an´ all that. Ain't I right?"

"Yeah," Gojyo said again. What else was there to say?

"Suspicious o´ me, huh? Ya could be right. Wise notta trust anyone." He held out a hand. "Do as ya want, mate, but I never tell on a small chap like ya ´self. Shiro's the name."

Gojyo took his hand. He might as well trust this boy, for a while anyway. He couldn't really use the name Shiro for himself as he had decided, though. "I'm Gojyo," he said.

Shiro shook his hand, and then let go. He watched Gojyo closely. "Wanna get some grub?"

"Yeah, but I've got no money."

Shiro snorted. "I know that. Ain't hard t´ tell. Come on." He rose and gestured to Gojyo to follow him.

Gojyo followed Shiro to the beginning of an alley where he could see most of the market place.

"Stay here, an´ be quiet. Watch me."

Shiro walked casually out from the alley to the market stands. With horror Gojyo watched as Shiro skilfully moved among the stands, stealing fruits, meat buns, and a few other things. Without anyone even looking suspiciously at him, he returned to Gojyo.

"Ya must be good luck, Gojyo," he smirked. "Use t´ take hell of a lot longer. None even look at me. Let's getta ma place."

He turned away and started walking fast along the alley. Gojyo stood frozen for a moment. This Shiro wasn't a thief, was he? Well duh, of course he was. Gojyo debated with himself. Stealing wasn't what he had in mind when he arrived to the town. But he was _very_ hungry. And he had tried to get a job. It wasn't like he jumped to stealing the first thing he did, right? It wasn't even him doing the stealing. Running away from prison must be a much more serious crime, and he had already done that; what was eating a little stolen food compared to a prison break? He needed to eat, he wouldn't survive without it. If he ate the food now he could get a job later, and pay back to the people who Shiro had stolen from. Shiro was getting further away, not looking if Gojyo was following him. Gojyo made a decision. He ran to catch up with his new friend.

Shiro led the way to a scrubby looking house in a scrubby looking part of the town. The house looked like a warehouse or something, not something made for living in. Shiro didn't get into the house, though, but when no one was looking he walked behind it. There was a small almost cleared path with trash and broken boxes surrounding it, leading to a small shed on the backside of the warehouse. The door had a big rusty lock which looked like it hadn't been opened for years, and Shiro didn't use it either. He went to the side of the shed, removed a plank from the wall, and squeezed inside. Gojyo followed immediately.

Inside it was dark, but chinks in the walls allowed a little daylight to enter. Shiro was already putting up the food on another plank, lying over a couple of bricks. "Don't ya jus´ stand there. Sit an´ eat."

That, Shiro didn't have to say twice. Gojyo throw himself over the food, gulping it down so fast that Shiro sat gaping at him, before he started to laugh. "Hungry, my ass. Been starvin´ for a week, more like it." Shiro saved a few pieces to himself and let Gojyo have the rest.

"There's water in the barrel," Shiro pointed, "an´ a ladle if ya want."

Gojyo drank and then lay down beside Shiro who had stretched out on a blanket on the floor. "Ya gonna get hurtin´ in ya stomach after eatin´ like that, ya know." Shiro stated matter of factly. "Ya need to take a shit, take it outside."

"´Course," Gojyo said satisfied. Again he felt content with life. He turned to face Shiro.

"Have you been living in this shed long?"

Shiro nodded. "Four years. I'm eleven. Was seven when ma died. How old are ya?"

"Eight."

"Heh. Thought ya onl´ six. So small an´ skinny."

Gojyo thought Shiro was quite small and skinny himself. He had thought him to be only nine, but decided not to mention that.

The other boy was diggin' in his pocket for something, and when he had found it he pulled up at package of cigarettes. "Wanna smoke?" he asked Gojyo.

Gojyo grinned happily. "Hell, yeah!"

He took one of the offered cigarettes and waited while Shiro lit up a match. They both leaned into the small flame. Gojyo inhaled and leaned back with a deep sigh of satisfaction. "Man, I needed that. Thanks." It was not the same brand as mom had used. It was stronger, richer, and his brain felt the nicotine sooner. He read the name on the package lying beside Shiro. Hi-lite.

Shiro watched him and smirked. "Ya not as lost as ya seem. Know howta smoke already. Me was ten when I started."

"I've been smoking for a year." Gojyo said. "I used to steal mom's cigarettes when she… was occupied."

"Ya gotta ma?" Shiro asked curious.

"No, she's dead. Dad, too"

"Been dead long?" The question was asked with the cold assurance that only one orphan could give to another.

"Dad, I never knew. His been gone for a long time. Mom…," he paused. How long time had passed since she was killed? It felt like a long time, but it really wasn't that many days. "Only three days," he answered.

At that Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Bet ya miss her." A small amount of sympathy crept into his voice.

Gojyo had to think. He was startled that he had to, but, really, did he miss her? She had always beaten him, never hugged him, he could never make her happy however he tried.

"Yeah," he said, "I miss her. A lot."

Shiro only nodded. "Can understand that. Missed my ma, too, when she was killed."

Gojyo's head came up. "Killed?" he asked without thinking. Oops, maybe that was insensitive of him to ask.

Shiro didn't seem to mind, though. "She was a whore. An´ those girls ain't livin´ no easy life. One of her johns was doped to his ears and gotta kick outta killin´ her while fucking her."

That was the most terrible thing Gojyo had ever heard. What could one possibly answer to that? He couldn't come up with a single word to say.

Shiro saw how uncomfortable Gojyo felt. "Nah, don't look like that. I manage."

"Wer… weren't you sad?" Gojyo had to ask.

The other boy shrugged. "Sure. Cried like a baby for a week. Had to stop crying, tho. Tears ain't givin' ya no food.

"Yeah," Gojyo agreed. "I made a decision never to cry again when I was in jail."

"Ya´re in a jail?" Shiro sounded impressed.

"Only for a day. I ran away in the night. Well, I had help, or I couldn't have done it."

Shiro whistled lowly. "Wow. An´ here I thought ya´ didn't knew life at all." He smiled enthusiastically at Gojyo. "Let's be partners. Ya can stay here with me, an' we'll be friends an´ everything. Ya know how t´ steal? Except for ya ma's cigarettes." He grinned.

Gojyo shook his head. "No…" He wasn't so sure he wanted to learn stealing. On the other hand, Shiro seemed nice enough, and if he hadn't gotten a job in four years, then maybe Gojyo couldn't get one either. He had to ask.

Shiro was talking, though. "Don't worry," he was saying. "I'll teach ya pick pocketing an´ lock picking an´ all ya need to know."

"Can't we get a job?" Gojyo interrupted.

Shiro stared at him. "Nah," he said after a moment, "tried at first, but no one wanna brat like me. Can't getta job in this town till ya twelve. Besides, it's hard getta job even if ya older. Wanna live? Steal, or start whoring."

"Whoring?" Gojyo asked narrowing his eyes.

"Don't tell me ya don't know 'bout whores. Fuckin' for money. Told ya ma was one." Shiro looked scandalized.

"'Course, I know." Gojyo was a little offended. Jien had made sure he knew what happened between men and women, inside or outside marriage. Being a bastard it was probably good he knew why they called him that. "I just thought whores are girls."

"Most of them are," Shiro agreed. "But many johns wanna fuck boys, too. Ain't hard to earn some money that way. Don't wanna do that, tho. Kinda scares me," he admitted. "An' don't ya get any funny ideas about that. Sure, ya cute, an´ could prolly getta lotta customers, even if ya young. But ya could get yaself hurt bad. Stay away from that. When ya older, ya can find chicks as customers. Guess that's better if ya have to sell yaself. Too young now, no chicks'd have us." He laughed. "Stick to me an´ we'll be the best pair of thieves ever."

Gojyo had to agree that if the choices were between theft and whoring, the stealing sounded much better.

"I don't know," Gojyo said hesitantly. "I mean, sure I could stay here, and I'd really like to have you as a friend, but I was looking for my brother."

"Ya gotta bro?" Shiro asked curiously. "Big one or justa runt?"

"He's my big brother, and I don't know where he is, but I need to find him."

"Uhu, ya wannim t'take care of ya, right? Could be a good idea, if he's a nice bro." Shiro nodded. "He's here in town?"

"That's the problem," Gojyo admitted. "I don't know where he is. But he is nice and kind, and strong and clever, and the best big brother there is."

Shiro laughed. "Sure, bet he is. But how're ya gonna find 'im? Got any ideas?"

Gojyo looked down. "No, he could be anywhere in this country." He didn't want to tell Shiro that Jien was a youkai, and therefore must be either in a youkai town or a mixed one. "Maybe he's in this town, but he could just as well have crossed the border to another country." Gojyo had very vague ideas how far it was to the border, but it was possible, wasn't it?

He cast a glance at Shiro who didn't manage to get the pity out of his eyes. Gojyo didn't really like that. He opened his mouth to say something, but Shiro beat him to it. "Okay, ya gotta a bro, somewhere in the worl', an' it ain't my business t'tell ya whatta do. But if ya still wanna know what I think, stay here. If ya bro's here, ya find 'im. If he ain't, at least ya got a roof over ya head," he pointed at the wooden boards above their heads. "An' I told ya I help ya, and teach ya an'everything. When ya can take care of yaself, ya can keep lookin' for 'im. Whadda ya say?"

It was not as he had much of a choice. Certainly one part of him screamed to him to find Jien, but the other part, the more sensible part, told him to stay. The days on the road had taught him that walking without any real goal, with no food, no bed waiting for him at night, and the feeling of loneliness, was not anything he wanted to deal with at the moment. What Shiro offered was some comfort, friendship and a kind of a home. The eight year old clang to it like a drowning man to a life preserver. What he needed most was some feeling of security, however small.

The older boy watched him intently. "I be ya new bro, if ya wanna," he offered.

Gojyo heard the longing in his voice, and an understanding went through his mind. He smiled brilliantly at Shiro. "A brother and a friend," he said smiling but seriously. "I stay."

He stretched out his hand. "You'll teach me how to steal, and together we'll be the best and richest thieves there ever was."

"Got it, bro."

They were quiet for a while, not really knowing what to say, but Gojyo did have an important question he wanted to ask.

"Shiro?"

"Yeah?"

There are both humans and youkai in this town."

"What about it?"

"More humans than youkai."

"Sure, only there's more youkai than ya see. Lotta youkai´s wearing restrains."

Gojyo turned to his side, and propped his head on his hand, facing Shiro. "Restrains?"

"Ya don't know ´bout restrains? It's stuff like necklace and earrings with powers. Make the youkai look human."

Oh, yes, Jien had mentioned it, only he had called them limiters. He had never caught the reason as to why a youkai would want to wear it, though. Maybe Shiro knew. "Why?" he asked. "Why do the youkai want to look like humans?"

Shiro looked funny at him. "Ya not used to youkai, huh? They're bad people. Dirty, violent shitheads. Can never trust 'em. I hate 'em. Was a youkai guy that killed ma."

Gojyo could only stare at his new brother.

"Hey," Shiro said. "I'd wear restrains, too, was I youkai. Glad I'm not. Wouldn't wanna be a fuckin' demon. Ya'd wear restrains, too, was ya youkai, ain't I right?"

Gojyo found this question strange and disturbing. Being half youkai he looked more human than youkai. Only his coloring distinguished him from full humans. As far as Gojyo could remember, his deepest wish had been to look as a pure youkai. Shiro had not mentioned his color, though. Which was strange, according to what he just said about hating youkai. A thought struck him.

"Maybe, probably," he answered the question absentminded. "Are the humans and youkai living in peace, or are there many fights?"

"Guess, most of ´em, get along fine. Don't like ´em, m´ self."

"Do they marry each other? Get kids?"

Shiro grinned at him. "Ya sure's nosy ´bout youkai. Met a priddy youkai chick, huh?" He grew serious. "Might be priddy, but stay away from ´em. Can't trust ´em. No human wanna marry a youkai, and prolly not the other way around, too."

"But you said, they fucked? I mean, your mom… Wouldn't there be kids, then."

"Ya don't know nothing, do ya? It's forbidden having kids like that."

"But there must be some, don't you think?"

"Guess so. Why d´ya ask?"

Gojyo turned his face away. "No reason. Just curious."

It was obvious Shiro didn't know he was a half breed. Probably the human woman at the river didn't know either. Not even when they kicked him out of the restaurants had they insulted him by calling him half breed bastard. At least that was one problem less. If the humans all thought him to be pure human they wouldn't fear him, like Shiro did the youkai.

A sudden ache in his stomach made him squirm. Ouch. He sat up, clutching his belly. Shiro laughed at him when he couldn't help but groan when the next ache came.

"Told ya." Shiro was smug. "Come. Show ya were to take a shit."

Shiro crawled out through the whole in the wall, and Gojyo followed wearily. He really shouldn't have eaten so fast.

tbc


End file.
